messages. >> oh yeah. >> thanks for joining ugs. brian williams is next. we'll see you at 6:00. on our broadcast tonight, what really happened inside that house in cleveland? there are late details tonight from police about what a decade of life was like there as some of the victims now return home. the benghazi attack. for the first time testimony from the murdered ambassador's second in command. a chilling account of that night in libya. fighting prostate cancer. what's being called a revolutionary new test to help figure out the best course of action. surprisingly often it means no action at all. palace intrigue. what's happened over the past 48 hours? it has a lot of folks in great britain contemplating life after the queen. britain contemplating life after the queen. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening.

since news of this strange story in cleveland first broke, people across this country, around the world for that matter, have wondered how could anyone have possibly pulled this off, imprisoned three young women for upwards of a decade. thanks to a late-in-the-day police briefing in cleveland, we just learned a lot more about what investigators say life was like in that house now that these human prisoners have been freed. it's where we begin again tonight. nbc's ron allen standing by in cleveland. ron, good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, brian. yes. late today 52-year-old ariel castro was charged with kidnapping and rape. interestingly, his two brothers who were also arrested were not charged. prosecutors said there was not enough evidence against them. meanwhile, here in the neighborhoods, we are outside the home of one of the victims -- gina dejesus. a very jubilant day here today, a time for celebration, a time to breathe a big sigh of relief as she finally came home. [ cheers and applause ]

>> reporter: on a brilliant afternoon a scene many feared would never happen. gina dejesus arrived home, her face hidden, but with a big thumbs-up, as family, friends, and neighbors cheered all around her. >> i never gave up. never gave up searching for her. >> reporter: just hours earlier another reunion. amanda berry, the woman who bravely led the escape from the alleged captors monday evening with her 6-year-old daughter. berry's sister spoke for the family. >> i just want to say we are so happy to have amanda and her daughter home. i want to thank the public and the media for their support and encourage over the years. >> reporter: meanwhile michele knight, the third rescued woman, remains hospitalized in good condition.

late this afternoon, police announced charges in the case. >> i just signed criminal complaints charging ariel castro with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape. the seven criminal complaints are first degree felonies. as it relates to pedro and onil castro, no charges will be filed against these individuals at this time. there is no evidence that these two individuals had any involvement in the commission of the crimes committed. >> reporter: the police report obtained by nbc station wkyc illustrates living conditions for the women. all three stated ariel chained them in the basement but did free them to let them live upstairs. that ariel kept the doors locked and did not let them out. if they were allowed outside they had to be heavily disguised and police say outside trips were rare. >> there is no evidence to indicate that any of them were ever outside in the yard in chains without clothing or any other manner. in fact, i think the evidence we have obtained thus far indicates in the last decade they have only known themselves to be outside the home on two separate occasions and that was only briefly. >> reporter: according to the police report the victims reported multiple pregnancies,

rapes and miscarriages. police would not elaborate today. meanwhile, investigators continued to collect evidence at the house on seymour, a home county records show is a modest two-story colonial with four bedrooms, an attic and a large unfinished basement. >> we are truly sorry for their pain. >> reporter: from the suspect's family today, an apology. >> we are so happy they have been found. as part of this community, we also watched for them. we hoped for their safe return. we prayed for them. >> reporter: the police will not discuss the specifics in their report. some of the information is quite graphic and hard to read. for example, one of the women said she was starved and beaten while she was pregnant and she lost the child. we may learn more about the case against castro when he makes his first appearance in court tomorrow. brian? >> ron, such a bizarre story. now, of course, three arrests but just one charge. did we learn more about what may

have been the break that led to their assisted escape? >> well, apparently there was an interior door somewhere in the house that was left unlocked when castro allegedly left sometime on monday. that's when amanda berry saw an opening, got through that door, got to the screen door which is on the porch and that's how she was able to gesture and make noise and scream and yell, frankly, and get the attention of some of the residents in the neighborhood who came and rescued them. that's how it ended. apparently a lucky break. authorities said there was very little evidence that they had tried to escape any other time during the ten years or so they were in captivity. this is a gruesome situation, brian. >> incredible turn of events in cleveland. ron allen on the story for us. ron, thanks. now to another big story getting a lot of attention today. the emotional testimony by a top diplomat about the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. and the aftermath of that evening which has been consumed ever since by controversy. today we heard a chilling

account of what really happened in libya. our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell following it all from our d.c. newsroom tonight. andrea, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. washington is used to politically charged hearings. what was different today was the sheer emotion as we heard from ambassador stevens's second in command. gregory hicks, a career diplomat was holding down the fort at the embassy in tripoli last september 11 when he reached ambassador chris stevens in benghazi. >> i got the ambassador on the other end. he said, greg, we're under attack. >> reporter: the line went dead. he called washington as the benghazi mission was overtaken by terrorists. at 3:00 a.m. libya's prime minister called. >> i think it's the saddest phone call i have ever had in my life. he told me that ambassador stevens had passed away. >> reporter: today emotions were still raw.

>> it matters to the american public for whom we serve and most importantly -- excuse me. it matters to the friends and family of -- ambassador stevens, sean smith, glen doherty and tyrone woods who were murdered on september 11, 2012. >> reporter: after hearings last fall and winter a damning report by an independent review board hillary clinton took the blame in january. >> i take responsibility. >> reporter: today house republicans said clinton and the review board didn't go far enough with that admission. >> i find it stunning that four and a half months after the attack secretary clinton still has the gall to say it wasn't us. >> reporter: as the attack raged on and a second assault on a cia outpost hicks testified he and a defense attache tried to send four more special forces to benghazi and pleaded for air support, but the pentagon told them to stand down.

>> i will quote lieutenant colonel gibson. he said it was the first time in my career that a diplomat has more [ bleep ] than somebody in the military. >> reporter: the pentagon says f-16s were hours away and couldn't have gotten there in time, say democrats. >> of all the irresponsible allegations levelled over the past two weeks, this is the most troubling. based on what our military commanders have told us, this allegation is simply untrue. >> reporter: today hicks said he told secretary clinton as it was happening that it was a terror attack, not a demonstration and that he's been demoted for speaking out. the state department tonight denies punishing anyone and says congress has withheld the money needed to protect outposts like benghazi. brian? >> andrea mitchell in washington for us tonight. andrea, thanks. now we turn to the deadly civil war in syria, which has now claimed by some estimates over 70,000 lives. the stories of atrocities have been tough to take. now the conflict there has taken on an added sense of urgency for the global community, the u.s. included, over these allegations

of the use of chemical weapons by the assad regime. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel made his way back inside syria to investigate what is going on there. he is safely out again and joins us live tonight from just over the syrian border in turkey. richard, good evening. >> good evening, brian. the use of chemical weapons has been seen as a trip wire for deeper u.s. involvement. but the syrian rebels are having a tough time proving it. rebels bring us into syria. laid waste by more than two years of war and constant brutality. we're taken to a headquarters bombed just days earlier to discuss allegations of chemical weapons. but the rebels want to talk about a massacre last week. hundreds dead, they claim -- butchered by assad's forces. children and women are massacred

daily. hundreds. aren't these war crimes, too, asks abu mohamed, a brigade commander. rebels say syrians die while world leaders nitpick claims of chemical weapons and rub their chins over what to do with assad, still in power, meeting today with iran's foreign minister as if nothing was wrong. a young activist shows us video he says is the aftermath of an attack. villagers choking, gas ing. among them, miriam al hatib, slipping in and out of consciousness. rebels blame chemical weapons, smoke from something dropped from a helicopter. they show us two photographs but experts tell us these devices closely resemble teargas canisters. a doctor tells us he treated al hatib. [ speaking in a foreign language ] she was unconscious, sweating, he says. she had white liquid at the mouth. she was struggling to breathe

and had small pupils. we are shown blood and urine samples. doctors say they collected from al hatib. evidence of a chemical attack, rebels say. it proves nothing. >> we'll take it out and have a look. >> reporter: a chemical weapons specialist contracted by nbc news tested the urine sample provided by the rebels and found no evidence of any chemical warfare agent. the dying continues in syria. and so do the questions. after talks in moscow there is now talk of a joint u.s.-russian diplomatic initiative. but there is no sign that we saw that any of the groups fighting on the ground in syria would actually accept it, brian. >> richard engel safely across the border again, reporting live from turkey for us tonight. richard, thanks. back in this country tonight, political redemption and then some for former south carolina governor mark sanford. the man who skipped the state, lied about his whereabouts, ran off with another woman in 2009 setting fire to his life and political career.

turns out temporarily. now he's headed to congress. he won last night's special election to replace republican congressman tim scott who is now a senator. sanford defeated the democrat elizabeth colbert bush, sister of comedy central's stephen colbert. guilty of first-degree murder, the verdict in the phoenix trial of jodi arias. the event has become a spectacle, a tv series on cable all its own. a massive crowd cheered outside the courtroom when the verdict was read. almost five years ago her boyfriend travis alexander was found with 27 stab wounds, a gunshot wound, his throat slashed. so the first-degree murder verdict was not a surprise in this salacious case. now the penalty phase starts to decide on the death penalty. still ahead for us tonight, doctors say millions of men have unnecessary surgery to treat prostate cancer. but tonight there is a new test to figure out if surgery is really necessary. and later a new chapter

perhaps in the making for great britain. what the queen did today that has her subjects thinking about what could come next.

we have medical news tonight on prostate cancer. of course any advance on this topic is important because of the 240,000 men diagnosed and the 30,000 who will die of it this year alone. treatment usually involves surgery or radiation or both. that can, of course, lead to serious side effects but in many cases the cancer is slow growing and may not need immediate treatment. now a new test can help determine the right course of action. our report tonight from our chief science correspondent robert bazell. >> it is beautiful though. >> fabulous. >> reporter: john shoemaker and his wife donna remember seven years ago when he learned he had prostate cancer. >> initially it was, oh, my god, you know, am i going to live? what's going on? >> i was pretty upset.

i was crying. i was hysterical. >> reporter: since then john has gotten no treatment, and he's perfectly healthy. his doctor watches the tumor in a routine called active surveillance. a new test may help determine when that is a good option. it measures 17 genes and should allow more men and their doctors to know whether it is safe to go untreated. john, a retired computer executive was scheduled for surgery. he then visited dr. peter carol who has long argued while prostate cancer can be deadly, often it is not. so treatment that can cause side effects including impotence and incontinence is not always necessary. >> how many men do you think were treated with surgery or radiation who could have lived to a long, healthy life without it. >> a large, large, very large number. millions probably. >> reporter: already biopsies

and scans can predict how dangerous a tumor is. the test adds more information. >> this test will have a big impact with some physicians to make them comfortable recommending active surveillance or not recommending it, and the same thing for patients. >> reporter: it is not clear yet whether insurance companies will pay the $3,800 price tag. many doctors say they need more real world experience to know how useful this and similar tests are. >> can you see any cancer? >> i can't. >> reporter: many agree genetic tests are the future of what's called precision medicine. allowing doctors to treat or not treat patients in the best possible way. robert bazell, nbc news, san francisco. we'll take a break. we'll be back in a moment with the loss today of a beloved star of daytime tv.

take a look at this photo of a lightning strike near the south rim of the grand canyon. a capture of a spectacular moment as if mother nature was

shining a bright light on the canyon wall. it was taken last july by photographer travis rowe but the u.s. department of the interior thought enough of it to alert us to it just this week. pope francis raised eyebrows in italy today when he told a leadership conference of nuns that they should be mothers for the church, remain fruitful in their lives and their service to the church and, as he put it, not become spinsters. the word he used in italian translates to spinsters or old maids. he said, forgive me if i talk like this but criticized those in the church following their own career ambitions. jeanne cooper has died. the enduring and durable soap opera store appeared on "the young and the restless" for almost 40 years. she had a brief film career but will be most remembered for her tv role as the grand dame, catherine chancellor.

she was awarded best actress emmy in '08 on top of 12 nominations over her career. on "l.a. law" she played the mother of corbin bernsen which was her role in real life. he announced his mother's death today at the age of 84. if you build it, be prepared to shut down the upper deck if the fans don't show up. the miami marlins are so bad in light of a meager payroll and a 10-24 record they are closing down the upper deck of their stadium, marlins park, at least for a few upcoming games because so few people are coming to the games and the empty seats look so bad. they average about 17,000 attendants per gam at $35 million, their payroll is just $6 million more than a-rod makes for the yankees every year, and he's inactive this season. the marlins say the closure will make for a better fan experience. well, men everywhere are advised to grab an axe. at least that's the take away

from two casual studies -- one in france, one in israel. the data showing that men are more attractive when holding a guitar. they don't even have to play it. as the french study puts it musical practice is associated with sexual selection, something most rock stars will happily verify for you. we have special visitors today. while they mostly slept their way through their visit to nbc news, that is why they are called comfort dogs. the good folks at the lutheran church charities brought their fleet of goldens to our conference room. many are veterans of sandy hook and boston. some of them heading back to boston now and it doesn't take long to figure out why they are called comfort dogs. welcome to "nightly news." when we come back, the queen's speech. what she did today that's raising eyebrows. was it a sign of things to come?

finally tonight if you are living in great britain and you have reached the age of 61 you have never known life under any other british monarch. in this era the reign of queen elizabeth ii must some day come to an end. for the first time now there are signs of a kind of royal transition.

nbc's kier simmons has our report from london. >> reporter: for decades as mother and monarch she's been the very picture of stability and tradition. but change is coming, even to this family. prince charles today accompanying the queen at the state's opening of parliament, camilla with him -- a sign of things to come. >> what we are seeing is the queen preparing to pass on the baton if you like to prince charles to take on far more responsibility, to be seen, to give him a chance to be seen on the world stage and perform in public in a statesman role. >> reporter: the queen is 87 now. prince philip, 92 next month. time to slow down. in november, charles will represent his mother at a commonwealth meeting in sri lanka. she's attended for years, but not this time. it's too far for her to fly.

no heir to the british throne has waited longer than charles. >> i charles, prince of wales, do become your liege man. >> reporter: there is one behind him and another as kate is expecting in july. will and kate touring america and australia. prince harry arrives in the u.s. tomorrow for another visit while 64-year-old charles waits as he reluctantly discussed with brian not long ago. >> this is something that if it comes to it, regrettably it comes -- >> as a result of the death of your mother. >> the death of a parent which is not so nice to say the least. >> reporter: but slowly -- very slowly -- a transition of sorts is under way as the queen, duty bound, thinks about the future. last week charles attended the abdication of the dutch queen to her son, age 46. queen elizabeth vowed never to abdicate. time waits for no one, not even a queen. kier simmons, nbc news, london. that is our broadcast for tonight. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back

here tomorrow evening. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com with breaking news. >> that breaking news is out of the east bay. a gruesome find in oakland. today they found a human head in a pile of debris at the california waste solutions located on tenth street. police are not sure how the head ended up at that facility. they say the head is possibly mummified and are looking at other debris to see if they find other body parts. we will bring you more information on this breaking story as it becomes available. more trouble for a local district attorney.

this time he is being criticized by one of his own. a lead attorney is speaking out against his boss, santa clara d.a. >> it comes a month after investigators revealed rosen ordered some time sheets be changed. this attorney says he was retaliated against because he stood up to his boss. >> his time sheets were some of the hundreds alterred. he says it wasn't right so he let the d.a. know that. tonight he reveals what he calls a culture of fear and says he is keeping everyone else quiet. >> what jeff is doing is wrong. and somebody needed to stand up and actually call him on it. >> reporter: after two decades at the d.a.'s office and 2 1/2 years as a lead attorney jim sibly has been demoted. >> there is no way this is anything other tha